Improvement in safety-cans for burning-fluids



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

s. n. wINsLow, OFPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN SAFETY-CANS FOR BURNINGHVFLUIDS. l

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 15.206, dated J une 24,1856.

To all whom t may concern,.-

Beit known that I, SETH E. WINsLow, of Philadelphia, in the county ofPhiladelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and improvedmethod Vin the use of burning-iluids and other explosive mixtures usedin cans and other vessels or lamps, so as to prevent or greatly lessenaccidents arising therefrom; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing and the letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in providing a conical wire -clothstrainer, (in vthe drawings marked A,) with one or more small openingsin it, (marked 13,) said opening for the passage of a wick or tube, andthis conicalv strainer so placed within the nozzle of a can or othervessel, or over the opening of a lamp, as to exclude the flame from itsinterior. I also make a small tube, open from the body of the can, opento and through the spout of the can, and solder this and said conicalstrainer into the nozzle of the can, so as to carry up the air or thegas escaping from the vessel being. lled, to supply the vacuum producedby the llow of fluid from the can, and thus prevent all need ofunstopping the can, by which unstopping accidents often occur.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my' invention, Iwill proceed to dcscribe its construction and operation.

I cut a semicircular piece of wire-cloth and make a small hole throughit, and doubling the straight edge or side upon itself, or bringing thetwo radii together, it forms a cone adapted to lamps;l or I cut asection of a semicircular piece of Wire-cloth, and folding the edgestogether, I form the cone adapted to cansland 'Ihe principle upon whichthe safety of my invention is based is that the smallness of the tubeadmitting air or gas, or a mixture of both,

to the can will not admit of the fla-meto pass by reason of absorbing orabstracting the heat or `reducing it below the burning-point, and` thatthe wire-cloth keeps separate to a certain extent the gas contained inthe can or the` l lamp from the atmospheric air, and operates inthe samemanner or upon the same princi# ple as does the wire cloth or gauze ofSir H.

Davy s safety-lamp, and that the conical form ot' the strainer is bestadapted to the top of lamps, to bottle-Stoppers, and to the nozzles ofcans, for the following reasons: First, that with a iiat strainer ordisk the lamp -is not easily iilled; second, that the cylindricalstrainer admits of a partial explosion; third, that a conical strainerlights when ignited, as does avwick or a cup wet with burning-fluid;

fourth, that through the conic strainer the toni of the'spout of cans,or a long tube of wirecloth extending to the bottom of a lamp, or asforming part of said tube, for this use of it has been made by others;but

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

The conical form of the wire-cloth strainer, with a small aperture atits apex or side, which may be adapted to the lower part of lamp -topsand to cans; and I do hereby disclaim any application of said conicalstrainer to the cap of a lamp, with an oriice in said cap through whichthe lamp may be filled. f

,Y SETH E. WINSLOW.

. Witnesses: I

HUGH CLARK,

WM. DARKrEs.

